Sunday, July 31, 2011

Good news is, this episode didn't bore the hell out of me, like the last few dozen. Seriously, I think someone else directed tonight’s show, because it seemed better edited and interesting in general, than any other this season.

Pro: Ah, so we start exactly where Eric & Sookie left off, making out with previously cued Violins. Love the ass groping. It might be worth rewatching.

Con: Eric has definitely been mind fucked, because instead of his usual one finger hand-salute to Queen Behul, he bows and begs his sincerest apology after being Cock-blocked. In my fantasy, Eric knees Behul in the junk and gets back to business with Sookie. Life is so cruel.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

I love this series, but I just didn't enjoy this book as much as the rest. I think it had much to do with the lack of Anyan for most of the book and due to not caring much for the Blondie character, the butch tattooclad Original that kept revving up Jane's engine. I mean really? Your boyfriend is in trouble and all you can think about is switching teams for a person you don't know or trust? And the various monikers, like Baby Doll, that Blondie kept referring Jane to, really grated on my nerves after awhile.

The humor that usually kept me heckling througout, also seemed to be lacking, besides the random raunchy sexual innuendo-which I didn't find all that funny this time around. I was also a bit over the plot, after about the third showdown with the same villains, that I just wanted to skip to the end at that point.

I have to say, I was also disappointed after a three book buildup & tease of an Anyan & Jane relationship; we are again made to wait through most of the book, before we even get to see these two together. This part of the plot was completely unsatisfying to say the least, not to say I read these books for the romance factor alone. But consistently dangling the proverbial carrot, will only lead to frustrated and turned off readers.

In summary, although I did enjoy the beginning and some of the ending, the freshness and humor that made this series special seemed missing this time around. No doubt, the storyline itself was good, but the repetitive fight scenes, lack of Anyan, and my dislike for Blondie, caused my interest to wane for a majority of the book. Having said that, this is a better book than most of its type, just not on the same level as the other books in the series. I'm still interested to see what's next for our Selkie-Jane, just a little less so.

The story begins with the arrival of a young boy and his grandmother to the Box. The old woman is dying and the boy, Feo, has no one. Cass and Smoke open their tent to him for the night, while Dor decides whether the child can stay. At first Cass fantasizes a little that Feo will join the family she has made with Smoke and little Ruthie. But the boy latches on to one of the guards, making her realize that he needs things she can't give him.

There's not a lot to this, and you don't need to read it for Rebirth to make sense. Feo is present in that book, but the events of his arrival are given in clear enough language that you won't miss anything. Still, I'm such a fan of this series, I wouldn't skip any tidbit that Littlefield offers."

More meaningful, than your run of the mill flesh eater book. The heart of the story is about a woman who has been to hell and back again. After waking with no memory of the last 2 months, Cas puts all her effort into recovering her 3 yr old daughter. Most of the book is focused on her reflections of her past, prior to the Siege, that landed them in this post-apocalyptic world. Through her reflections and growth as a woman & as a mother, she finds strength and comes to terms with her life and her endless self-destructive self-loathing. Warning: this is not a YA book. Sexual Content/Violence

Thursday, July 28, 2011

I went into a Bricks & Mortars book store today, for the first time in I don't know how long. I was there to pick up the new Jane True in paperback, which releases a week before the ebook. Is this a trick by the publisher and book dealers to sell more physical books? I think so.

Anyways, while I was at B&N I checked out the new Nook Touch. It didn't blow my socks off, but I did like its compact-ergonomic & keyboard-less design. I don't care for the Kindle's keyboard much, or the fact that I can easily set it off by pressing a button accidentally (which I do quite often). I wish there was a lockout function for the K3 keyboard. The contrast and screen size seemed about the same. Navigation was easy, but I had to repeatedly tap to enter a book, however page turning wasn't cumbersome.

The part that turned me off was the way the Nook makes use of its screen. On the Kindle, you can fill the screen up with Text with minimal margin space. On the Nook, there was a fair amount of Top & Bottom Margin space that couldn't be filled in. There was a Nook dude there, devoted to peadling to their emarket consumer, and he said that the margin spacing changes from book to book. I ain't buying it, because there were plenty of books on the Nook I tried and it all performed the same. In any case, once you set your ereader, it should treat every book the same, unless you change file types.

So, I decided to walk out without a new Nook Touch. I've bought 4 Kindles, but I swear, I'm not brand loyal. I'm curious to see what the end product of the upcoming K4 will be. Rumors are running amok, from it being a Triton color touch to a Tablet similar to the IPAD. Only time will tell.

Last week I checked out the Kobo Touch, Border's new Touch Ereader. It's a cheaper design & construction of the new Nook, but accepts a wide variety of file types and is lighter than either the K3 or the new Nook. The only issues I saw was weak contrast, that is similar to the older version ereaders, and the unit I inspected kept locking up on me.

So I guess my hunt continues and the wait for more information on the new Kindle.

Thoroughly addictive. Sylvan's powerful debut is packed with startling action, sensual romance, and delightfully nerdy vampires. An empathic gift is slowly killing Austin musician Miranda Grey, who uses her talents to influence her audience. After a fateful event that leaves Miranda traumatized, she is taken in by David Solomon, the steely but quirky leader of the South's vampires. As David teaches Miranda to control her abilities and the two grow closer, a vampire civil war looms.

Great debut. Maddy is an Agent of Death. After a chain of events, starting with her best friend's murder, her life turns from ordinary broke loner to magical dark heiress. Monsters, Gargoyles, Angels, & Ungodly creatures, this series has it all.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Con: It reportedly takes 7-14 secs to strangle someone to the point of unconsciousness. Joe Lee should count it out in Mississippis next time. I think I've had enough of the dysfunctional redneck family subplots on this show.

Con: Woops...I guess there won’t be a next time. RIP Redneck Daddy and probably momma too.

Con: For some godawful reason, the Moon Goddess has something against Vamps. Maybe there's a bit of history there.

Con: Marnie giving us an eye full of her over-the-hill cleavage is awe-inspiring, but also cringe worthy.

Pro: First good one of the night is from Lafayette explaining to Marnie why her hokey possession excuse ain’t flying: “Look, this kind of dog ate my homework excuse don’t work with the vampires. Because they sniff that shit, then they eat you, like a fucking Pot-Pie”. And yes, I'm now strangely craving a frozen meat pie from my freezer.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Professor Simon Cross has spent his life searching for evidence of vampires and avoiding emotional entanglements. When a mysterious accident transports Simon and his new assistant, Elizabeth West, back in time, Simon finally finds both the proof that he's been looking for, and the romance that he hasn't.

In 1920s Manhattan, they find that are more than mobsters vying for power in the city's speakeasies. Will Simon and Elizabeth's developing relationship survive the vampires' teeth? Will they survive to make it back? Or will they be forever out of time?

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Skip the following, if you haven't read Book #1,Aftertime. I wholeheartedly recommend this series to any UF or Zombie fan. These are definitely entertaining and thoughtful books.

The end of the world was just the beginning. Civilization has fallen, leaving California an unforgiving, decimated place. But Cass Dollar beat terrible odds to get her missing daughter back—she and Ruthie will be happy. Yet with the first winter, Cass is reminded that happiness is fleeting in Aftertime. Ruthie retreats into silence. Flesh—eating Beaters still dominate the landscape. And Smoke, Cass's lover and strength, departs on a quest for vengeance, one that may end him even if he returns.

The survivalist community Cass has planted roots in is breaking apart, too. Its leader, Dor, implores Cass to help him recover his own lost daughter, taken by the totalitarian Rebuilders. And soon Cass finds herself thrust into the dark heart of an organization promising humanity's rebirth—at all costs. Bound to two men blazing divergent paths across a savage land, Cass must overcome the darkness in her wounded heart, or lose those she loves forever.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Pro: Eric falling into a drunken stupor, after gorging on Claudine. Don’t fall for it girl. I think I like Eric drunk on Faery blood. It’s easier to take advantage of him in this condition, or maybe not (as he giddily runs out into the night before dawn). Amnesia Eric seems to lack his usual self-preservation, but not his hornyness.

Con: I think it would be in everyone’s best interest if they just stop with the Rape Jason plot they have got going on. I really thought that the implied camp rape would remain that way. Instead, Mr. Alan Ball decides we haven’t had enough of seeing someone being raped. I’m not sure if it's “supposed” to be funny or interesting that the women from the were-camp are lining-up to get a piece of the new man meat they have recently procured.

Con: Cue the Lifetime music in the background, as Jason explains to the weregirl that her first time should be special, and not by riding a kidnapped hurt man. If this doesn’t have Afternoon Special written all over it, I don’t know what does. Let’s move on people.

What is about the South that makes it such a draw for UF writers? Is it just happenstance that the author is from the area, or is it because of the locale's innately mystical feel and equally rich history, that makes this area such a great backdrop for dark fantasy? We can probably blame UF pioneer - Anne Rice, for a majority of this never ending fad. Either way, I think the South is here to stay. Recently, their has been a litany of new UF originating not only from the South, but from a specific county-Parish, La.

The two new Southern UF books, I recently enjoyed, seem to not only share a specific setting. The Protagonist from these books are both troubled young women, that have to fight their way out of a depressive history of drugs, prejudice, & self-loathing. The plots are as different as you can get, but the underlying feel is pretty much the same. White Trash Zombie was funnier and easier to read, but I grew to like and appreciate Dead on the Delta.

White Trash Zombie

From one one of my favorite UF authors, this one doesn't disappoint. A very easy and hilarious read about a teenage delinquent Angel Crawford, who lives with her redneck father in the swamps of southern Louisiana. She's a high school dropout, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and has a police record a mile long. But when she's made into a zombie after a car crash, her addictions disappear, except for her all-consuming need to stay alive.

The first book, in this Southern Gothic - post-apocalyptic - mystery series, starts a bit rough. It's not exactly a smooth read, that kept me entirely focused until almost a quarter of the way through. But after it finally hits its stride, I became peeled till the end. The world-building, mystery, & character Arc was great, but I thought the Love-Quadrilateral was a bit much. Still, this book definitely lays a good ground work for an interesting series, and will hopefully only get better as it progresses.

This one is about disease-carrying fairies and the humans that have fled to the protection of their iron gated communities. The hard-drinking, smart-mouthed, bicycle-riding, Annabelle Lee, is unique in that she is one of the few immune to the verminous creature's bite, and able to do the dirty work most humans can’t. Including helping law enforcement— and Cane Cooper, the bayou’s sexiest detective—collect evidence when a body is discovered outside the fairy-proof barricades of her Louisiana town. But Annabelle isn’t equipped to deal with the murder of a sixyear- old girl or a former lover-turned-FBI snob taking an interest in the case.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Grave Dance
This is one of the best Follow-ups I've read in awhile. The first one was good, but not very memorable IMO. The 2nd may be one of Price's best books to date.

The book has a lot going on, but it still flowed smoothly and everything seemed to tie-up well by the end. About a month has passed since the events in the last book. The book starts off similar to the last, with Alex raising the dead & working with the PD to unravel a paranormal murder mystery. With her love life in turmoil, Alex is eager for the distractions of work. But when her new case forces her to overuse her magic, it might be the last mystery the Grave Witch ever gets to solve. About a quarter of the way through, the plot expands to the interesting world of Faerie and the sexy FIB agent-Falin, and of course the hot enigma-Death.

I couldn't help but get carried away with this Fantasy heavy plot. Lots of different genres converge within this series, which could have easily become muddled with too many subplots. Fortunately, Price does a superb job of keeping everything straight and moving along until the very end. Excellent World-Building & riveting plots, I cannot wait to read the next book.

-Currently Reading-

I was pretty excited to read this latest spinoff, especially with its enthusiastic start that featured carnies and a sassy girl who can both electrify and glean information with her right hand. I also liked the chemistry right from the ...

An extremely well played out who-done-it overall. I give the romance in these books a solid B+ and the mystery an A-, even though I guessed who the killer was about halfway through the first book. Even with the early prediction, the en...

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4 1/2 stars
This book is quite a departure from my usual reads. Thanks Heather for suggesting it. I couldn't quite tear myself away from it until I reached the very end. This had one of the best mix of mystery, thrilling-tense drama,...

An impressionable young lady with little to no self-worth, and a sadistic and selfish man, who is 10yrs her senior, is the perfect setup for a bit of heartbreak.
Marcie has been in love with her uncle Ben, a friend of the family and c...